EAP Critical Reading Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does it mean to 'synthesize' sources in an academic reading context?
- Quote each source verbatim in sequence
- Summarize each source in a separate paragraph
- Integrate ideas from multiple sources to build a unified argument (Correct answer)
- Paraphrase only the longest source
Correct answer: Integrate ideas from multiple sources to build a unified argument
Synthesis involves combining perspectives from multiple sources into a coherent, original argument rather than merely listing them.
Question 2: A critical reader notices that an author uses the phrase 'it is widely accepted that' without citing any sources. This is problematic because:
- Academic writing should never use passive constructions
- The phrase masks a claim as consensus without providing evidence (Correct answer)
- Widely accepted facts never require citations
- The phrase is too informal for academic writing
Correct answer: The phrase masks a claim as consensus without providing evidence
'Widely accepted' is a vague appeal to authority that substitutes for verifiable evidence and should prompt skepticism.
Question 3: Which signal word most strongly indicates that a sentence will present a counterargument?
- Furthermore
- Therefore
- Nevertheless (Correct answer)
- Consequently
Correct answer: Nevertheless
'Nevertheless' signals a contrasting or opposing point, marking a shift from a previous claim.
Question 4: A researcher studying poverty cites only data from a single urban county. A critical reader should note this as a limitation of:
- Internal validity
- Theoretical framework
- Generalizability/external validity (Correct answer)
- Citation style
Correct answer: Generalizability/external validity
Findings from a single, non-representative location may not apply to other populations or contexts, limiting external validity.
Question 5: When annotating an academic text, which practice is most useful for developing a critical response?
- Underlining every sentence in the passage
- Writing questions and reactions in the margins alongside key claims (Correct answer)
- Copying the abstract word for word
- Highlighting only words you do not recognize
Correct answer: Writing questions and reactions in the margins alongside key claims
Marginal questions and reactions keep readers actively engaged and build material for critical analysis and writing.
Question 6: An author argues that 'since students who eat breakfast score higher on tests, schools should mandate breakfast programs.' This reasoning contains which logical error?
- False dichotomy
- Circular reasoning
- Confusing correlation with causation (Correct answer)
- Hasty generalization
Correct answer: Confusing correlation with causation
Higher scores co-occurring with breakfast does not establish that breakfast causes higher scores; a third variable may explain both.
Question 7: In academic texts, the term 'hedging language' (e.g., 'may,' 'suggest,' 'appear to') signals that the author is:
- Avoiding commitment to the argument
- Acknowledging the limits of evidence and expressing appropriate uncertainty (Correct answer)
- Writing for a non-expert audience
- Preparing to introduce a counterargument
Correct answer: Acknowledging the limits of evidence and expressing appropriate uncertainty
Hedging is a scholarly convention that reflects epistemic honesty about the strength and scope of evidence.
EAP Critical Reading Strategies 3
What does it mean to 'synthesize' sources in an academic reading context?